


The Gentle Emperor

by AWillfullDroll



Series: Dark Inspirations [1]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Bitterness, Defensive Fathers, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Physical Abuse, Spousal betreyal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-01-16 22:22:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21278678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AWillfullDroll/pseuds/AWillfullDroll
Summary: Emperor Callum the Gentle, discovers that his son-in-law has been gaslighting and cheating on his daughter. Even gentleness has it's limits.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is actually based on a character I had in Crusader Kings II. For those of you who don't know, CKII is a role playing game by Paradox Interactive in which you can play as nobles from Medieval Europe (769-1444), From Iceland to India to North Africa.  
The character was an Emperor who married a common woman. They had a child within three years, and she died in childbirth. This character took a vow celibacy and nearly tripled the size of the empire in forty years. The daughter married a relative, a king of Northumbria (region of northern england). By the time my character was sixty, I noticed that the daughter was lunatic and the king was a cheater. So my character locked up the mistress (who was pregnant) and executed her. A fitting punishment.
> 
> So fun to be positively evil in that game.

Callum had watched her die. He had been right beside when she breathed her last, holding their newborn daughter in his arms. He knew, at least, that part of her would always be with him. That part of her was with him when Ezran died. She was why he seized the throne rather than let vassals fight over it. She was why he played games, provoked kingdoms to war. He took all, even conquering Xadia; forming one, united Empire. All for the part of her that was left with him.

His wife died, that fateful day, but he gained a daughter. A daughter who strongly resembled her mother, both in appearance and character. He had done everything for her, and she was the center of his world. He didn’t care for the Crown, not nearly as much as he cared for her. She did her name honor, and she bore her name with pride, as it was the name of her mother.

He would do anything for her, which is why he allowed her to marry for love. Even when it was Callum’s cousin, the child of Amaya and Gren, Charlen. It was for her sake that he made Charlen King of Neolandia, and this was Charlen repaid her love, and took advantage of Rayla.

Callum’s grip splintered the wooden arms of his throne. Charlen stood before him, explaining how his daughter, his precious Rayla, was crazy.

“My liege, the Princess is seeing things, hearing things. At first I thought that she just making up things to get attention, like a child,-” CHarlen said, motioning to his wife just behind. Her beautiful white hair was full of mats and tangles. Dirt covered her face, and she was muttering to herself.

“Enough!” Screamed Callum as he rose from his throne. A quick glance to his captain of the crownguard, saw a sunfire maid from Callum’s staff escorted in. The maid had been easy, she confessed to their affair, and her pregnancy almost immediately. Charlen’s staff also leaked, confessing almost immediately to being enlisted and coerced to gaslight the princess. They succeeded, but Callum would them punished.

Callum descended from his throne, and Charlen shut up. ‘He must have the anger on my face. Good. He has forced this course of action. I wished that I didn’t have to do this’ Callum thought as he passed his cousin, and went to his daughter.

“Hey, baby girl, its Dad.” Callum said as he offered her his hand, tears in his eyes.

Raya looked up at him, her eyes were wild, and confused. It pierced his heart, she didn’t even know where she was.

“Rayla, it’s Daddy.” Callum said with a hint of fear.

“D-Daddy?” Rayla repeated. She sounded more a bird, or a toddler learning words than the forty-two year old woman she was. Callum’s jaw clenched as the motioned the guards forward.

“Please, show my daughter and grandchildren to their rooms. I wish to have some private words with a my son-in-law.” He said gently, and he waited for his orders to be executed be he turned to two guards to the right. “Seize Charlen.”

Charlen protested, as did the maid, while the guards seized them both. The maid was brought closer to Callum and his cousin. Even though Callum was furious, his tone only became gentler. He turned the sunfire elf, “Your name is Jessa?”

“Y-Y-Yes, sire.”

“Good, good.” Callum replied as he rolled up his sleeves. His wife would be heartbroken to see what he about to do, but Charlen had to know that there were consequences for his behavior. And killing him would only hurt their daughter more, and her children. They might be grown, but they are ready for a dead father. Not yet.

“Make him watch.” Callum murmured as he turned punched the Jessa in the face. The guards holding her prevented her from flying away, as Callum delivered a second and third punch, bloodying the elf’s face rapid. After a fourth, particularly savage blow that broke Jessa’s nose, Callum turned around to look at Charlen. The redhead had his eyes closed, shaking his head, even while the girl cried out for him.

Shifting to look at his guards, Callum said, “Pry open his eyelids if you have to. You hurt my baby girl, Charlen. Now, I’m going to hurt you.” He waited until Charlen’s eyes were pried open before speaking again. “Tell her that she isn’t getting hit, tell her that she is fine, that she’s in bed with you. Lie to her, like you lied to Rayla!”

“P-Please Callum, d-don’t kill her!” Charlen stammered.

“Why shouldn’t I kill her?” Callum countered, the gentles that he was known for disappeared entirely.

“I-I love her.”

Callum narrowed his eyes and growled, “Wrong answer.”


	2. The Dead King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlen's end comes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sequel that nobody wanted, but you all got, irregardless of what you wanted.

Charlen was numb. He wished he could cry, but he had nothing left in him, he realized as knelt before the remains of the shrine. Callum had discovered this little shrine, and he had made Charlen watch as he tore it to bits. Well, Callum’s lap dog tore it apart. Which hurt even more, considering who she was.

Charlen had believed that his love had perished, all those years ago, when Callum beat her in front of him. But it was all an illusion, he later learned. After Callum died, Rayla inherited the Empire, which their son was her regent. It was then that Charlen learned the truth. Callum had beaten her savagely, but he kept her alive, and she gave birth to their daughter. Callum took their daughter away and named her Sarai.

He raised Sarai where her mother could watch her, watch her be twisted into a tool of vengeance. And when Callum finally died, Charlen found them, only to watch Sarai slit his love’s throat in front of him. He had cradled her dead body in his lap.

“Why?! Why would you do this to your mother!” he had shouted at her.

“She may have given birth to me, but she is not my mother. She is a whore!

“What?” Charlen choked.

“I loved him, Charlen, I loved Callum, but you broke him when you harmed the Empress, so he couldn’t love me back. Since you took away what I loved, I will carry on my love’s holy task. You are only permitted happiness that comes from your wife, and her children. Anything else, and I kill that source of happiness. From now on, you are not even allowed a cat.”

“W-W-wha-” Charlen had stammered.

“In fact, you better hope that she lives a long life. Because when she dies, I’m going to cut you into little pieces, slowly.” Sarai seethed, the look of anger on her face had made him shrink back.

It had been years since that incident, but Sarai terrified Charlen the whole time. Rayla got him a puppy one year, and Sarai killed it. Disemboweled it and spread its guts everywhere. Naturally, Rayla thought Charlen did it because he didn’t appreciate her gift. That argument was the last time Rayla ever talked to him. She exiled him back to his own lands, and their children visited from time to time. Usually with heart wrenching tales about their mother cried constantly.

Charlen wished that he had never strayed from his wife, that he had never evoked Emperor Callum’s wrath. But he knew that it couldn’t be helped. He had been spoiled, and as result, was a selfish person. By the time he realized this, it was too late. Rayla never wanted to see or hear him again. And now, now it was the end.

He had built this shrine the day before, to Jessa, not in remembrance of her, but of what his choices cost. He cost himself his marriage, his happiness, and two young women their life. But none of it mattered, not after he had received a crow bearing the message: “Empress Rayla has passed. Emperor Charlen has ascended, and you are humbly asked to remain in exile from the Imperial palace.”

He lost his children, and now, his illegitimate child would arrive any moment to kill him. He closed his eyes and wished this was a nightmare. He ignored the footsteps and prayed for a second chance, hoping that whatever was out there, ancestors, gods, the primals, would hear him and grant his desire. When he felt the cold steel against his throat, he knew that there no such luck. _There are no second chances for pieces of banther shit_, he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The creative juices are feeling a lot better with posting this stuff.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you had fun reading about evil Callum. This is one of two ideas that suddenly decided to crawl up my ass in the last few days.


End file.
